New
Project Wizard

To create a new project, clickProject=>New. A wizard window will appear.

Step 1

Specify theName,Description(optional), andProject
path. The name you give
to the project is used as the file name under which your project
will be saved in the folder specified in theProject pathfield.

Step 2

In this step, you shouldSelect an
environment.The
Environment panel allows you to configure some of the very
important project parameters that affect the way data
visualizations are computed. Because different environments have
different characteristics in terms of signal attenuation,
diffraction, reflection, etc., you are asked to select the
environment that best describes the site you plan to survey. For
each environment, the application recommends aGuess
range. A guess range is
the diameter of the circle for which the application predicts the
WLAN characteristics with a high degree of certainty. For passive
surveys, TamoGraph can also compute WLAN characteristics outside
the guess range zone, although such computations have a lower
degree of accuracy. Check theExtrapolate data beyond
the guess rangebox to
enable such computations. Enabling this option means that
datavisualizationswill cover the entire map rather than the
areas that you actually surveyed. Enabling this option is not
recommended unless you cannot survey some areas of the map for
whatever reason. Finally, theMeasurement unitscontrol can be used to choose
the preferred units (feet or meters) for displaying distances and
coordinates throughout the application. See theEnvironmentchapter for more
information.

Step 3

Select theChannels to
scan. The application
scanner sweeps through the channels supported by the wireless
adapter to collect and analyze packets being sent on the selected
channels. You may want to modify the channel selection if you know
that some of the channels supported by the wireless adapter are not
used in your WLAN or in your country. For example, if your WLAN
does not use the 5 GHz band, you may want to turn off all 5 GHz
channels; this will shorten the scanning cycle and, therefore,
increase the data accuracy. However, please keep in mind that
skipping some of the channels may result in the application's
inability to detect sources of interference, such as neighboring
APs that work on the channels that were skipped. It is recommended
that you not modify the defaultScan intervalandUse the same interval
for all channelssettings at this stage. See theScannerchapter for more information. You can use
theSelectchannelsbutton for selecting or
deselecting all channels, as well as for selecting channels based
on the country- or region-specific allowed channel lists (e.g.,
choosingUnited Stateswill select channels 1-11 and
deselect channels 12-14 in the 2.4 GHz frequency band).

Note:
This wizard step is skipped if your computer is not equipped with a
compatible wireless adapter. You might still want to create
projects on such computers if you plan to conduct active surveys or
use the survey job splitting—i.e., if the data collection process
is performed on other computers and the collected data is then
merged on your computer.

Step 4

In the final step, you should
add an image file that contains the floor plan or site map of the
facility or area that you want to survey (you will be able to add
more images if your project includes several zones or floors
later.) A floor plan or site map is required for accurate data
analysis. If no image file is available, you may want to scan a
plan, if it exists on paper, create one using a drawing program,
such as CorelDraw, or even make a sketch using a ruler and pencil
and then scan the sketch (be sure to follow the proportions). The
image file should be between 250 and 2,500 pixels on a side
(naturally, this applies to raster formats only; vector images,
such as DWG, do not have pixel dimensions). Larger images will slow
down the application. The following image file formats are
supported: BMP, PNG, JPG, GIF, WMF, TIFF, DWG, DXF, and SVG.

If you add an AutoCAD image
(DWG or DXF), an additional import settings dialog is displayed.
This dialog allows you to select a layout to be used (if the file
contains multiple layouts) and include or exclude specific layers.
For example, you may want to exclude the plan legend. You can also
crop the floor plan to define a specific zone to be used for
surveying.

The application also supports
PDF files. When you use a PDF file, an additional import settings
dialog is displayed. This dialog allows you to select a page to be
used (if the file contains multiple pages). Alternatively, you can
use any of the images embedded into the PDF file; such images are
listed on a separate tab. You can also rotate or crop the
floor plan to define a specific zone to be used for
surveying.

If you plan to perform a
large-area GPS-assisted survey, you may want to import a map from
one of the online map services or Microsoft MapPoint (MapPoint
Europe or MapPoint North America are required to use MapPoint
maps). ClickLoad Street Mapto open a new map loader
dialog. Once the initial map view is loaded (the application
will try to guess your location based on the Wi-Fi environment),
you can navigate to the area you want to survey, using the map
controls or theNavigationframe, in which you can enter
your coordinates, or read them from the GPS receiver, or enter your
address. ClickGo to Locationto load the map of the
corresponding area. When you are satisfied with the area selection
and zoom level, clickUse
Map. Note that the
application will use the map image as you see it, with the selected
zoom level and size in pixels as in the map loader window (the
window can be resized). Be sure to select the area correctly and to
set a zoom level that meets your needs, as you will not be able to
resize the map or zoom in/out at a later time. When you open
the map loader window, TamoGraph temporarily returns control over
your Wi-Fi adapter to Windows so that you can connect to the
Internet and load the map. If a Wi-Fi connection to your AP is not
established, connect your computer to the Internet over a wired
connection, close the map loader window, and open it
again.